Hollow Existence
by August Passion
Summary: Mikan Sakura is a vampire that refuses to drink human blood. One day, she happens to cross paths with a brother and sister that may just share similar problems of their own. AU (1)
1. Once In A While

**8.13.13**

_**I do not own Gakuen Alice. **_

**Today is the day that I start writing again. Yes, this story will have errors and editing will be done to this story as soon as possible. I would like to improve my writing so thanks for any suggestions! **

**On another note, here is a new story of mine. I can't get over vampires. So, here it is and yes it is so short. I'm so sorry. Haha. (: **

**Anyway, enjoy reading. **

**August.**

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**Hollow Existence (1)**

_Once in a while_

_"Bad days are like rotten fruit, they just flat-out stink," _

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My eyes squinted into the pantry as I tried to find something to eat. I grazed my fingers over the doorknob and slowly closed the ivory door to the pantry. There wasn't a thing to eat, nothing, not a single crumb. Naturally, I would have started to whine or just lay around on the couch until the pain in my stomach became unbearable. Though, now that I'm older I eat a lot more than the average person.

I huffed while pulling on my favorite red hoodie. Before I opened up the door to the backyard, I looked out the small window in the door. My mouth nearly hit the floor, it was snowing outside. "Well, this is going to suck," I bitterly spat out loud as I began to run towards the forest that cuts through my backyard. The woods through my backyard lead to town, which is great.

No, I don't own a car. It's too much trouble for me since I don't have the money. It doesn't matter anyway, I prefer to run through the woods anyway. Except, it would be nice not to hit trees anymore. I only hit trees because I'm not very good at using my speed yet. What I mean is-Well what I'm trying to say is: I'm not exactly human. Of course I look like everyone else in this world, but I am a bit different.

I'm known as a Vampire. I have one power that I know of which is being able to run ten times the normal human speed. But, I have a kind of embarrassing secret. Vampires are known to drink human blood. Well, I don't and never will. Instead, I eat a lot of food because it keeps my energy up for a while. In all my life, I could never see myself sinking my teeth into a person. It disgusts me when I think about it. I'll admit that every once in a while I'll drink an animals' blood. That only happens when I become really weak and don't know what else to do. After those episodes, I usually end up crying and I don't go out for weeks.

I finally made it to the grocery store. I barely made it through the doors before a familiar voice was calling me. "Hey, Mikan! Good to see you today," Rei yelled from across the room.

"Hi, Rei! Good to see you too." I smiled gently as I grabbed a cart.

"So, how was your hunting this morning?"

I stood there dumbfounded for a moment, "O-Oh! It was great. I couldn't really find any berries since there is snow on everything,"

Rei was really interested in what I had done the first time that I came into his store covered in leaves and mud. So, I made up a cover story. Which was that I go berry hunting in the mornings. Still can't believe that he bought it.

"Great. How's your Grandpa doing?" I gulped quickly.

"He's good. Well, I better get shopping before the snow gets any deeper," He laughed and quickly nodded while I ventured down the aisle. I tried to shake my thoughts from my Grandpa. It was too depressing to think about. Grandpa died three years ago. Legally, I should have been in a foster home now. I've kept it a secret for a while now and planned to keep it that way.

I left the Grocery store quietly and checked out with a different cashier than Rei. I decided to run at a normal human pace on my way back through the woods. I couldn't really see much with the thick snow.

Strange, I smelt something. It smelt better than any other human blood that I smelt before. I inhaled deeply, enjoying the scent. I always hated myself for liking the smell of human blood. Soon, I began to hear crunchy footsteps walking around in the snow. Then there was a sweet laugh that cut the quiet air.

"Brother, you're so silly." Another sweet laugh swept the evening air away. I tried my best to keep quiet and not disturb the two coming towards me.

"Whatever. It wasn't a joke." A husky voice deeply huffed in resentment. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. I stopped as well.

"Do you smell that brother?"

He inhaled the air, "Yeah, smells like chicken. Why?"

"I'm hungry!" I heard her whine then her stomach growled. I inhaled their scent and bitterly enjoyed it. I had never smelt humans that smelled so good. I kept on walking in the direction to my house. Though, I never passed the two people. I could hear them ahead of me, I just didn't know where. Their voices died down and I could no longer hear them. So, being stupid me, I began to run at full speed. I just wanted to get home and eat. Two seconds later, I ran into a tree, leaving my groceries to roll all over the ground.

"Hey, pretty lady! Are you okay?" I opened my eyes from where I laid on the ground. A little girl with a red ribbon in her raven hair looked over my face with concern. I quickly got up and rubbed my poor head.

"Ow. Yeah, I'm fine."

A tall figure soon appeared around the corner, "Aoi. What the hell? You just don't run off like that!" The same husky voice I heard before spat out hastily.

"But, brother! I saw the lady hit the tree!"

"You saw the-" His eyes soon found me laying in my heap of groceries. He rolled his eyes and huffed. He quickly picked up the little girl and backed up a few paces from where I was. I blinked and just listened to their conversation.

"How did you see her?" He whispered lowly. I figured that he must not seen me, considering that I was carelessly running at full speed.

"Pretty lady can run really really fast! I saw her coat fly behind her and then she hit the tree!"

"Hn,"

He set down the little girl and simply leaned against the tree. The tall man didn't even bother saying a word to me. He just kept a close eye on what I assumed was his sister. She came near me and began to help me pick up all my groceries.

I smiled, "Thank you for helping me pick up my groceries."

"No problem. Oh, you have cooked chicken!" She joyfully held on to the chicken I had picked up at the deli section.

"I do. Would you like to have some? I can prepare a meal at my house." I looked at her to see what reaction she would give.

She looked like she was going to cry, "Yes! I want to have food-"

"No, Aoi," The silent brother soon broke in. He walked over to Aoi and grabbed her hand. I glared at him with all my might. "I don't trust someone with a bag full of groceries in the middle of the woods. Who happens to run into us and happens to offer us a meal." He pointed his finger at me.

"I'm just offering a meal! Don't be so rude. I always run through the woods to the grocery store and back! There is nothing wrong with that! I was just running back and happened to actually run into you two on my way back!" My insides boiled, I was so angry for some reason. Maybe, it was because they smelt so good. I grabbed the rest of my groceries and shoved them into my bags.

I pointed my finger angrily at him, "And I have no idea what you two are doing in the woods. The only house around here is mine."

Aoi piped in, "We don't have a home, lady. Brother and me were just looking for food and then it started to snow and we got lost,"

"More like you got lost and I had to find you," He said under his breath.

I felt bad for them and looked over at Aoi's Brother, "If you don't trust me enough to go to my house then how about I bring you out some food?"

He held up his hand, "Will go. Don't expect us to owe you anything." Another smile took over my face and I just couldn't help it.

"Follow me, my house is right up here."

_Damn, they smell so good. What's wrong with me? _

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**Thanks for reading. Sorry, if it's a little short. Have a great day. (:**


	2. Twice Everyday

**8.13.13**

**Hello everyone! I hope that you're having a lovely day so far. If you're not having a good day than I hope this new chapter brings a bit of joy into your day! **

**Oh, just a heads-up on the POV, each chapter I plan to switch it on and off. Example: Chapter 1-Mikan's Point of View. Chapter 2- Third Point of View. Chapter 3- Mikan's Point of View. Hopefully, this isn't too confusing. I'm very sorry if it is. **

**P.s- Yes I did write two chapters in one day. I didn't mess up the date. ._. **

**P.s.s- I promise that I will eventually hit my goal of 5,000 words in one chapter. I'm failing really bad so far. Haha. (':**

_**I never will own Gakuen Alice.**_

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**Hollow Existence (2)**

_Twice everyday_

_"I'm not lonely, I'm just all alone."_

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Mikan lightly stirred the pot of soup while trying to wipe the steam off of her forehead. The aroma of the food was overwhelming. She could feel her stomach start to growl soundly. Aoi and her brother had left her to cook in peace for them. At least with this little time by herself she could clear her mind of _those _thoughts. The soup was soon done within a few more minutes.

Mikan grabbed three black bowls out of the cabinet. She gently swooped her hand over the ladle and began to pour the soup into each bowl. A proud smile of triumph over took her. Finally, she had accomplished making food for people other than herself. In a quick swoop she gathered the bowls and strolled into the living room.

"Dinner is ready," She smiled while setting the bowls on the coffee table. Mikan suddenly slapped her forehead. "I forgot the drinks. I'll be right back." The two just watched her intensely. Aoi devious smiled at her brother. He shook his head and forced himself to look outside. Mere seconds later Mikan came back with three cups off water.

"Lady, I'm still hungry! Can I please have some more?" Aoi piped up. She held up an empty bowl to Mikan. She seemed in shocked more than anything in that moment. What, she was only gone for ten maybe twenty seconds? Mikan glanced down at the table only to find that all the bowls of soup were empty. She looked over at the brother who was just staring out the window looking bored. Did he eat his soup too? Then she glanced back over at Aoi who held out her now empty bowl.

"Wait. How did you eat all this? I only left for a few seconds," She gave a dumbfounded look. The little girl just gave a big smile and continued to give Mikan the 'puppy dog' eyes.

"She eats like an animal. You don't have to give her anymore, she'll probably make herself sick." The brother gazed at Mikan with a bored expression. His elbow rested on the couch while his hand-held up his head.

"Onii-san! That's mean. I just need my energy!"

"I'll bring back more. Don't drink all the water while I'm gone. M'kay?" Mikan said sweetly as she went back to repeat her earlier actions of filling up the soup bowls. When she returned the water was left untouched and they had both stayed in their same spots.

"Oi, pigtails,"

"What'd you say!"

He ignored her earlier remark and went on, "Mind telling us why a little girl lives all alone in a house in the middle of the woods?"

Her eye twitched, "Mind telling me why you're such a hot head?"

"Lady, I think it'd be better if you just answered Onii-san. Mama always said that he had a short temper." Aoi whispered under her breath.

Mikan inhaled, "I'm not little, I'm a sixteen year old girl. I used to live with my Grandpa. He died a few years back. So it's just me up here. I really don't mind it. Up here it's always quiet and peaceful!" She smiled at both of them after giving her explanation. Aoi looked up at Mikan and looked like she was going to cry. She quickly shook her head after being glared at by her brother.

"You talk too much." He deadpanned.

"And, you are a jerk too much." Mikan said while sticking out her tongue. Man, this guy could really get her blood boiling. He was too much for her to handle all at once. She'd run out of comebacks soon if he didn't stop being an annoying prick.

"Oh, that just broke my heart," His sarcasm slipped off of his tongue. Aoi simply glanced up from her soup bowl and laughed as her brother used his tone of annoyance. Mikan was just about to blow when Aoi broke in.

"Lady, what's your name?" Aoi chimed in as she gulped down a spoonful of soup. Mikan stopped her anger for a minute to focus her attention on the sweet little girl. Her crimson eyes met her brown ones for a steady minute, until Mikan finally decided to look away. Talk about awkward.

"I'm Mikan. But, I'll let you call me whatever you want," She smiled. Aoi's eyes lit up in awe, she smiled at her with all she had. Mikan could feel the warmth consume her.

"I'll call you Mikan-nii! Is that okay?"

"Of course! What's your name?" Mikan asked her, even though she already had picked up her name.

"My name is Aoi and that's my brother Natsume! Thank you taking care of us Mikan-nii!" Aoi began to ramble on about Natsume as she pointed at him. He rolled his eyes and huffed a sigh.

"Aoi, I can introduce myself."

She stuck out her tongue, "But I already know that you won't, Onii-san! You always say that there's no point!"

"Just how many places have you stayed at?" Mikan asked loudly.

"We meet a lot of people, Mikan-nii! Ever since we left home, we just keep on meeting people. It's so fun! I love hiding around the world with brother!"

"You're hiding? From what?" She felt confused after hearing Aoi's explanation. Just what in the world could they be hiding from? They obviously must not have any family, since they are traveling from place to place. Mikan stared dumbfounded at Natsume then she glanced back at Aoi. She just smiled at Mikan as she finished up the rest of her soup.

"That's enough." Natsume suddenly broke in. A sour expression took over his features. "Will be on our way now."

"W-what? You haven't even ate anything!"

"I'm not hungry." He broke out lowly. "Aoi grab your jacket, quickly."

Mikan reached out to grab his arm, "Hey! Why are you leaving? Where will you go?"

He hissed, "Don't act so innocent. You know what we are. I can tell by the way you look at us. I should have noticed sooner."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Mikan blinked at him for a second. He shook off her arm and picked up Aoi with his free hand.

"Don't kid me. If you put anything in her food, I will come back to kill you. Report us to _them_ and I'll have your head." His tone was hollow and frightening. Those crimson orbs of his looked like they were on fire. By the way he gazed at her, he wanted to kill her.

"I don't understand what you're talking about!" Mikan said sternly. His fist clenched at his side in frustration. Aoi looked over her brother's shoulder with a sad expression. In a blink of an eye both of them suddenly disappeared out her front door. The snow had ceased while she heard them walk away. Mikan cursed under her breath as they left. Her mind was so puzzled, just what had he meant? Mikan was deep in thought for a long time, she just couldn't figure it out.

Suddenly, a distant scream shook her thoughts away.

_"Onii-san!" _

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**Sorry if it's going a little fast. The way that I've laid out the story it called for this slightly rushed chapter. Next chapter will show a bit more about Natsume. Since, I'm kind of making him pretty quiet in the story so far! Haha, sorry Natsume, you're not cool anymore. :/ Lol, just joking. **

**Many thanks too all those who read the last chapter. I love reading the reviews and getting all the e-mails for favorites and follows! I'm really happy, I can't thank you guys enough. Have a great day and may the vampires be with you! (: If I forgot anyone below, please let me know! **

**Thanks so much for the reviews: **

_AnimeMango_

_michan-natsu_

_DXMidnightxMoonXD_

_mooshy3712_

_Mystique0831_


	3. Thrice That Day

**8.15.13**

**Good morning, everyone. How's your day going? I hope it's going great! I'm so happy this morning! Can you tell? ****Anyway, thanks so much for reading and reviewing the last chapter. It really makes me happy to see that some people can enjoy this story, even though I'm not really sure if it's still enjoyable. Hopefully, I'm still making this story interesting. Haha. **

**Sorry, if this story seems boring at the moment. I have to keep it on a low intensity level for these few chapters. Yes, I have a lot planned for this story, including quite a bit of action as the story unravels. **

**Well, on with the story. Don't forget to leave some feedback about the chapter, m'kay? (:**

_**I do not own Gakuen Alice.**_

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**Hollow Existence (3)**

_Thrice that day_

_"There is no such thing as an evil heart, only evil minds," _

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I sprinted out the front door with all my might. The only thing I could think about was Aoi and her scream. I felt frightened, I felt scared that I'd come to care for those two in such little time. They just reminded me of myself before I met my Grandpa. I found myself remembering Grandpa while I ran. _Now, is not the time for flashbacks, Mikan._

I deeply inhaled the air as I followed the crisp footprints in the snow. That's when I smelt _it_, the smell was unmistakable. My fangs lightly pushed against my gums; the smell was strong and it smelt just like _them_. I stopped in my tracks to see if I could find the smell. A chilly breeze of wind whipped past my face. It only made the smell even more desirable. I furiously shook my head and inhaled the freezing air. I could hear the crunchy leaves blowing in the wind. The wind howled past my ears, making it hard to hear anything, but it only made the smell even more unbearable.

How far had I ran? How fast had I been running? Wait, how far had Aoi and Natsume gone? How long ago did they leave? A million questions blurred through my mind all at once. _Focus, Mikan. You're not a little girl anymore, you can do this. _Slowly, I started to stroll through the thick bushes and branches. Little amounts of snow fell from the branches as I pushed them away from my face and body. Fallen sticks and branches laid in the path of the footprints that had broken down the snow. After feeling like I just hiked up Mt. Everest, I finally made it through most of the fallen branches due to the snow. _I think I need to start working out again._ The only thing that kept me calm was being able to clearly see the footprints.

I gasped. The footprints suddenly stopped after I rounded the next set of bushes. My heart started to pump soundly to the point of where I could feel my heart pounding in my throat. I wiped back any new tears that were forming in my eyes, clenched my fist tightly and yelled out, "Aoi!"

_Nothing._

"Where are you guys!" I shouted at the top of lungs. My voice echoed throughout the forest, no other voice came back to reply. My eyes started to fill up with salty tears again. I started panicking suddenly. I silently made pleads in my head. _Please, don't tell me something bad happened to them. Oh, Grandpa please help me find them. _

I started to move a few more paces ahead. As I inhaled the air, I could faintly smell their scent. I tried not to get to excited before pushing the thick clump of bushes and tree branches away. My feet almost slipped out from underneath me when I pushed past. In a quick motion, I was able to grab the huge tree branch behind me. I gave a huge sigh, thank god I caught myself before I feel off the edge. Right in front of me was a pretty good drop-off, I'd say about ten feet.

_Huh, that's an awful big snow drift down there. I wonder why-Oh no. _

"No wonder the footprints stopped!" I muttered to myself. Using whatever strength I had left, I began to climb down to the snow drift below. I'm a pretty good climber, considering that I've lived around the woods for most of my life. It's a good thing that Grandpa let me climb the trees when he was around. Otherwise, I probably would have had to jump down there.

* * *

I shoved my hands straight into the middle of the drift and began to dig furiously. Whenever I glanced down at my hands all I could see was bright red skin. Every time I felt the snow against my hands I bit my tongue. My breathing became shaky from worry and the cold. I dug my hands again and again into the snow pile. Less than a minute later I saw a hand; a tiny hand. A sudden wave of relief washed over me. I furiously shoved the rest of the snow off of her. I yanked Aoi out of the snow, her eyes were tightly shut. I gently began patting her face and tried my best not to shake the life out of her.

"Aoi, wake up!" I squeezed her hand. "Please Aoi, wake up!"

I received a cough and crimson eyes staring back at me as a reply. She weakly coughed some more and looked right at me. I felt like crying as I held her close. Aoi, was alive and that's all that mattered. She abruptly stopped coughing and held on to me tightly. Her hands were shaking a little as she hugged me. Tears of joy lightly drifted into my eyes. _I'm forgetting something. What is it? _

Wait, where's Natsume at?

A beat of sweat erupted on my forehead, "Aoi, where's Natsume?"

She lifted herself from me while her eyes grew wide, "I-I don't know, Mikan-nii. All I remember is falling and screaming for Onii-san and then.."

"Then what?"

"I think brother tried to catch me...I don't remember." Aoi said quietly.

"Aoi, if he caught you then, he must still be in the snow pile," I held my breath for a moment before Aoi pounced on the pile and began digging with her hands. We didn't say anything more while we dug into the snow that hopefully hadn't killed her brother. I looked up at Aoi every few moments only to see her bawling her eyes out. Seeing her tears only made me want to dig faster.

Aoi soon uncovered a the tip of a boot. My hands felt numb when we pushed away the rest of the snow from him. I quickly checked for a pulse, just like Grandpa had taught me before. His heart beat was there, beating at bit lowly, but it was there. His chest slightly rose as he breathed in the chilly air. Natsume's eyes stayed shut and his lips were bright red. Some of his bangs stuck to his forehead, probably due to the some of the snow melting. Aoi and I repetitively tried to wake him up, though it was useless. He was unconscious.

* * *

_"Mikan-nii,_ are we lost?" Aoi asked for the third time.

"No Aoi," I wiped the sweat off my forehead. We stopped for a minute to take a break. My back was really killing me and we still had quite along way to go. I leaned forward to stretch out my back and get the kink out of it.

"Is Onii-san heavy?"

I laughed, " Very. I can't even lift him."

"Onii-san will probably be mad when he wakes up," She giggled. "He will probably be really sore too."

"Yeah." I huffed for the fifth time. This guy sure was heavy. I couldn't carry him, so I improvised and decided to just drag him through the woods. The only reason that I was able to make the last mile of dragging this guy was Aoi cheering me on. It's a good thing that they only made it about two miles out from my house. If they made it any further I don't think I could have dragged this _thing_ all the way.

"Mikan-nii are we almost there?"

"I think you can see the house from here," I said.

"Oh! I see it, Mikan-nii!" I smiled at her. Aoi excitedly pointed at the house and rambled on while I kept on nodding. The temperature slowly increased and I could see the snow start to melt under my feet. I let a devious smile consume my face as I glanced down at the _jerk._ The slushy snow sunk into his clothes while being dragged through it.

_Serves him right for being a jerk all the time. Hm, maybe I'll tell him that the only clothes I have washed are my kitty pajamas. Hm, this might be fun. I can't wait until he wakes up. _I lightly laughed to myself.

"Mikan-nii, why are you laughing while looking at Onii-san?" Aoi's voice interrupted my thoughts.

I held back my laughter, "Oh, no reason. I was just thinking of a funny joke."

_Ah, tonight might be a fun night._

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**Well, this chapter totally went in the other direction. I actually planned on Mikan finding them in a different situation, but I figured, "Hey, it was snowing, why not have Aoi and Natsume get caught in a snow drift?" It sounded good to me! This chapter was a little weird to me after I read it. The theme goes from tense and frightening to happy and mellow. Hopefully, that wasn't too weird. :/**

**Mikan is probably OCC. I'm just trying to make her mature but immature at the same time. Y'know because she's sixteen and had to live on her own. That probably doesn't make any sense. Haha. **

**Anyhow, I can't thank you guys enough for the support! If I accidentally forgot someone below, please let me know. **

**Here's a big thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter:**

_AnimeMango_

_mooshy3712_

_Meemeegirl_

_ChocoChipzCookie_

_TECKK_

_ChicCuteness_

_michan-natsu_

_mystery555_

_Aurora Goddess Of The Dawn_

_Crimson rose_


	4. First Be Quiet

**8.16.13**

**Well, thank you for the support as always! **

**I'm so sorry for dragging along what exactly Natsume and Aoi are. Some of you- I mean most of you are guessing that they are Vampires. Hm, are they? I don't know, we'll have to keep reading and see. Haha.**

**Anyway, please enjoy the story! **

_**Gakuen Alice is not mine.**_

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**Hollow Existence (4)**

_First, be quiet._

_"Only the night will know of us," _

* * *

She softly knocked on the bedroom door, "Are you all done in there?"

"Yep, Onii-san is in clean clothes now!" Aoi hollered from behind the wooden door. Her little feet pit-pattered on the carpeted floor as she strolled towards the door. She lightly pressed her hand on the doorknob, without a care in the world and swung the door wide open. Only to reveal a familiar brunette on the other side, holding a pink towel for her.

"Alrighty then. The bath is all ready for you. There's some clean clothes lying on the counter for you," Mikan put out her hand for Aoi to grasp, when she did Aoi sheepishly grabbed on to her hand. The two walked across the hall where the bathroom was. A refreshing scent lingered in the air for Aoi to enjoy as she entered the bathroom. Mikan had poured in some vanilla scented bubble bath earlier, she after all figured that Aoi was the type of girl who loved bubbles. The brunette quickly spun around to leave the bathroom and to give Aoi some privacy. She gently closed the door behind her causing it to 'click' shut.

"Um, Mikan-nii?" Aoi called from behind the door.

Mikan stopped in her tracks, "Yes?"

"Onii-san said I shouldn't like anyone that we meet. But, is it okay if I like you, Mikan-nii?"

"Of course it's okay! You know, you shouldn't let Mr-Bossy-Head decide who you can and can't like, Aoi."

When Mikan didn't receive a reply, she turned on her heel and entered the bedroom across the hall. Light no longer shone through the windows, the hours had finally drifted to the late evening. She moved lightly on her feet, only to step on wet garments, which had been discarded into a heap. Water dripped from the clothes when she picked them up, which left a large area of the carpet soaking wet.

"That's freaking great. Just wonderful!" Mikan hummed in a sarcastic tone. She swiftly released the soaking clothes into a laundry bin, shook her hands off and headed towards the nightstand. On the nightstand there was a rustic lamp. It hadn't been touched since her Grandfather's death. It was after all his favorite lamp after all. She gulped whatever fear had haunted her and clicked the switch on the lamp twice. Nothing happened. No giant explosion, no spark of fire, no deadly image of her Grandpa coming back to haunt her. Mikan dusted her paranoia aside while trying to remember what she was just about to do.

Gradually, she remembered. Even though she didn't want to, she turned herself around to face the _thing, _who had lain on the bed unconscious last time she checked. Natsume was still out cold from what she could tell, his features were left in a stoic position. He seemed at peace for the first time that Mikan had ever seen. A half-smile came to her face as she went to poke him in the face. His upper lip twitched when her finger came in contact with his skin. Mikan bent down to poke him again, this time square in the cheek.

His hand snapped out to grab the collar of her shirt. He pulled her right in front of his face. Natsume's eyes fluttered open and almost instantly narrowed when he saw her. His crimson orbs flared, "Don't touch me," He grip tightened on her shirt. "What did you do with Aoi?"

Mikan quickly shoved his hand off of her, sprung back a few feet away and angrily rubbed her neck. Shocked at his actions, she was at a loss for words. She inhaled the air, replenishing her lungs with the air that it had been rudely deprived of. Mikan pointed a finger at him, "What is wrong with you? You psychotic demon! What are you possessed or something? I-I thought you were still asleep!" She breathed. "And, who do you think you are treating someone who just saved your butt like that!?"

He sat up and dangled his legs over the edge of the bed, "You saved me? Ha, I wouldn't believe it if I saw it with my own eyes."

Natsume smugly placed his hands into the pockets of the sweat pants as he slowly began to walk towards the door. Mikan kept her distant while he attempted to walk around, his words soon sunk into her mind. Her face lit up red with fury, she was mad beyond words. Her only react was to stutter out, "W-why you! Maybe I should have just left you to freeze to death!"

"Where is Aoi?" He ignored her last remark and leaned against the doorway for support. Natsume was a little pale, he seemed to still be pretty weak from his tumble with the snow drift. Mikan noticed, a slight rush of relief drenched over her. He couldn't hurt her if he tried, he could barely stand on his own.

"Aoi is perfectly fine. She's right across the hall taking a bubble bath. If you don't believe me then go check for yourself," Mikan huffed. She glanced across the room at Natsume, his body swayed from side to side as he tried to make his descend to the bathroom. "Actually, I think you need to lay back down." He kept on walking to the best of his abilities. "Hey! Would you actually listen to me? Do you think she wants to see you passed out cold again? Of course not! Will you at least lay back down for Aoi?"

Mikan could see the sweat building up on his forehead. The paleness in his skin grew lighter, he reached for something to grasp upon, anything that could keep him from falling over. His vision slowly began to become fuzzy and his head started to pound. Something rubbed against his side, he wanted to shove whatever was by him, but he just gave in. His body could barely endure standing he didn't want to use the rest of his strength on a simple shove.

"You better not try to choke me again." Mikan muffled under his arm. He didn't reply as she tugged him further into the bedroom. His knee lightly grazed over the side of the bed, when he felt it he just let himself fall on the bed. She watched him closely, he laid his head on the pillow and calmly opened and closed his eyes several times, causing him to regain his vision. She understood his thoughts for the first time. He saw her as a threat, he didn't trust her, probably never would. Whatever they had run away from kept him sharp and alert. Even in his current state, all he did was intensely look out across the hall and around the room. Many times he squirmed around while trying to sit up, only to result in failure. No one talked for the longest amount of time. Only the creaking of the house could be heard.

"I'm not going to hurt you guys," Mikan broke out.

"Like I'm worried about _you_ hurting us."

"Then why are you treating me like an enemy!"

"Don't play dumb. Obviously, you're part of the society. This is just a new scheme to get us to come back."

"What society? You think I'm trying to bring you back from where you came from? Like I know where you came from! All I know is that you aren't taking very good care of your sister!"

"What the hell did you just say?"

"You heard me! I mean- Hello?! Look at yourself, look at your sister, face it already! You are just too stubborn to see it. At this rate, you'll both die trying to hide from whatever you're hiding from!"

Natsume now sat up, "Shut up, you know nothing about us!"

"That's because you won't tell me anything! If I really am from this stupid society, don't you think I would know everything? I don't even know your last name!"

He viciously grabbed her head, yanking in straight into the nook of his neck. He hissed into her ear, "You couldn't resist biting me if you're part of the society," Natsume breathed in. "You all think I'm so stupid. I know what you want. Go ahead, bite me and parish in hell." His crimson orbs stared intensely at her as she adjusted herself, her instincts kicked in. A deep insecurity grew inside of her while he focused himself on her, she began to smell that _desirable_ smell again. It was tearing at her insides, she couldn't focus her mind on anything else. Without even noticing, her fangs began to push at the tip of her gums. Mikan's body gradually leaned in towards him, her mind went fuzzy and her vision became slightly blurry.

Something started nagging at her. Mikan didn't want to do it, she wouldn't do it. Drinking someone's blood was like murder in her book. When had she suddenly had a change of heart for blood? _It's disgusting to drink someone else's blood. You promised yourself that you would never become such a monster. I don't have to become one of those vampires in the story books. I won't for Grandpa and for everything I believe in! What the heck are you doing? _

Mikan immediately yanked herself away from him. With all her might she sprung off the bed, her free-willed spirit came out as she glared at him, "I will never ever drink someone's blood! It's disgusting you idiot! Why would you want someone to drink your blood?"

He clicked his tongue, "That's pretty odd for a _vampire_."

"W-what? How did you k-know I was-"

"Idiot, I've grown up around them for most of my life." Rapidly, she blinked, trying to figure out just what exactly he was talking about. The gears in her mind turned over and over, nothing clicked though. Mikan nervously scratched the back of her head. All while the rustic lamp shined brightly in the background of them. She briefly opened her mouth, about to say something when a sudden gust of wind rushed past her and leaped on to the queen sized bed.

"Onii-san!" The now freshly cleaned Aoi jumped towards Natsume. She gingerly wrapped her arms around his stomach. He lightly wrapped his arms around her too, when she didn't let go he bonked her on the head with his fist in a loving and irritated way. Aoi pouted her lips, "Mou, that hurt,"

Aoi swung around, jumped on Mikan and embraced her strongly, "Mikan-nii, doesn't hit me when I hug her." She stuck her tongue out at her brother and still hung on Mikan who was off the bed and standing near the doorway.

"Whatever, I'm going to sleep. Leave me alone." Natsume promptly threw the sheets up, crawled under them and gently placed his head on the pillow. He didn't want to discuss anymore with Aoi around. Mikan just started to storm out of the room with Aoi tugging on the end of her shirt. The door to the bedroom slammed shut after Mikan had closed it. Silence over took the home, nothing could be heard but the wind howling away with the night. The morning sun would soon be in the sky, it was only a matter of time. Secrets would still be lingering freshly in the air by the new morning sun.

* * *

**So, I don't know what to say about this chapter! Except for: YES, I AM GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO FIVE THOUSAND WORDS IN ONE CHAPTER! Haha. (:**

**Anyway, thanks once again for the support!**

**A warm thank you to all of those who reviewed last chapter:**

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	5. Second Listen To Me

**8.17.13**

**Well, I'm happy to say that I finally finished this chapter. The events are still moving along slowly, but don't worry! Everything is just right around the corner to bring around the plot in a full swing. (: **

**Any errors will be corrected later by my editor. Feel free to point out any, it only speeds up the process.**

_**No, Gakuen Alice is not mine.**_

* * *

**Hollow Existence (5)**

_Second, listen to me._

_"Sometimes, silence is more than words."_

* * *

_A swift knock came to his door. He pretended to ignore it as he enjoyed watching the embers of the fire crackle and slowly disappear. Wrinkles on his face could be seen on with the flames light surrounding him. Picking up another log, he gently set it into the fireplace. _

_Another knock. _

_He leaned back into his chair, having not a care in the world. The man figured the knocks' must have been those snooty kids trying to mess with him again. They just loved to push his buttons, especially on a night like this one. Tonight, was of course a beloved holiday for kids to meddle with other people. It was New Year's Eve; a joyous holiday for drinking and making trouble, the old man thought. _

_Another knock. _

_Damn those stupid kids. The whole town knows him and where he lives, hell most kids were afraid to hike all the way up there. They'd have to make it through all that dense forest just to get there. Some kids really would just do about anything to mess with a man and his home. He wasn't a bad man, it was just that he lived up at the so-called 'Haunted House'. Teenagers probably the spread the rumor for a good laugh. Instead of a good laugh, it had manifested into a nightmare for the man. The first few weeks after the rumor, kids were constantly meddling with his house. From egging it to writing on it with spray paint. _

_A small series of knocks were heard. _

_That was enough for the old man. He deeply groaned as he pulled himself up from the chair. His feet shuffled, angrily he swung the door wide open, "Look, I don't-" _

_His mouth suddenly felt dry. In front of him was a woman, long auburn hair hung over her shoulders, the moonlight perfectly captured her features. Her eyes were a bright brown that he had never ever seen before, she was truly a beautiful woman. Right beside her was a small child, maybe six years of age. The little girl's hair was the same as her mother's. The child's eyes were a familiar shade of hazel that reminded the man of the fresh green leaves on the trees. He stared at them in astonishment, he had never seen such beautiful people. _

_"Dad, it's me." _

_"Azumi? Is that really you?" He couldn't believe his eyes. "Who is the little one? Could she be?"_

_"Yes, this is your granddaughter Mikan-chan. Look, dad I came here to ask something of you," She looked deep into his eyes. "I need you to take care of Mikan from now on."_

_"Hold it, Azumi. You run away at sixteen with that __man__ and show up at my door step, nine years later with my grandchild that I never even knew about! Where have you been all these years? Why haven't you come back home?"_

_"Please, just take care of Mikan. Izumi and I are in trouble, we don't need Mikan a part of it." She held back tears. "Dad, there wasn't a day that I didn't think about you. I couldn't come back, otherwise you would get involved."_

_"Azumi, what are you talking about?" A look of concern over took his face. Azumi gently picked up her daughter and tightly squeezed her. She gingerly kissed Mikan's forehead, tears began to stream down the grown woman's face. _

_"P-please dad. I need a safe for her. I'll come back as soon as I can." _

_"Alright. I'll do it. But, only because I love you." She held out Mikan to her father. He kept a wary expression on his face while he grabbed hold of his granddaughter. Azumi continued to cry, she tried to wipe away the tears with the back of her hand. The man lightly smiled at his granddaughter as he held her. Mikan's eyes flickered to him while he tried to talk to her. The little girl just stared at him funny when his mouth moved. _

_"She isn't able to hear at the moment. We got into an accident a few days ago..her hearing should come back in a few days." Azumi pulled herself together. "Thanks for doing this dad. I love you. I promise to explain everything when I come back. Goodbye." _

_._

_.._

_..._

_Azumi never did come back. _

* * *

A nearly blinding ray of sunshine shone on my face. I groaned, rubbed my eyes and briskly tossed the blankets off of my body. My back ached, a slight pain shot up my spine, I bit my lower lip. I guess, that's what I get for sleeping on the couch. Who knows how old that piece of furniture is? It could be from the dinosaur ages for all I know.

Yawning, I grimly got off the couch. I didn't bother going upstairs to check on Aoi or that _thing_ Natsume. I glided over into the kitchen microwave, the clock on it read: 7:32. Now, I really regretted sleeping on the couch. I _never _wake up this early, usually the routine is to sleep in until around nine or at least until I get hungry.

"Hey, stupid. Hand me another egg." A groggy voice flew to my ears. I nearly hit my head on the ceiling when his voice suddenly broke out. The sizzling of the pan caught my attention, he was actually cooking. I almost licked my lips at the sweet aroma of eggs and buttered toast.

I grabbed another egg out of the fridge, "When did you get up? I didn't even hear you come down."

"Five thirty." He answered in a bored tone. I tossed the egg to him, he quickly caught it in the palm of his hand. It was odd at how natural this felt, it wasn't the same feeling that I had with Grandpa, but it sure felt pretty close to it.

"So, for two hours you've hung out in my kitchen?"

"If your kitchen wasn't such a mess, than maybe I could have found the pan sooner." Natsume smugly smirked at me. He knew how to push my buttons and I hated that.

"My kitchen is not messy!"

He narrowed his eyes, "Really? Then show me where you keep the bowls."

"Okay, maybe it is a little disorganized." He just nodded in pure victory at my statement. I sighed while I opened up the fridge once again. My eyes wandered around the contents of the fridge. Nothing much was in the fridge, even though that I just went grocery shopping. Of course, I didn't exactly plan on having two guests over. I just bought enough to last me for the next few days, which wasn't a wide variety of items.

_"That's pretty odd for a vampire," _

I inwardly gulped. My mind raced for the longest amount of time, so many questions rapidly flew around in my head. I pressed my lips together, hoping that it could get my mind off whatever was bugging me.

_"Go ahead, bite me and parish in hell."_

I closed the doors to the fridge a bit too hard, causing them to slam. Natsume's eyes flickered over to me as he placed some scrambled eggs into a bowl. The pan clattered against the bowl while he scooped the eggs into another bowl. He utterly ignored my outburst; it didn't really surprise me that he did.

_"Idiot, I've only grown up around them most of my life,"_

Walking over to the counter, I pulled out a few forks for us to use. He obviously hadn't found them yet, considering that I kept the forks in an odd drawer at the end of the counter. As I passed by him, I smelled that certain aroma that made my fangs push at my gums. I clenched my teeth tightly and wandered over to the dining room table. Footsteps echoed on the wooden floor, I glanced up from my spot at him. He shrugged his shoulders, lightly walked over and dropped a bowl of eggs in front of me.

I watched him retreat back into the kitchen. He came back seconds later with another bowl of eggs in his hands, most likely his eggs. I just stared at the eggs for a few moments, "Did you put poison in this?" I pointed to my bowl. Those eggs looked quite delicious, I wondered if they would taste just as good as they appeared.

Natsume glided into the chair in front of me, "Hn."

"What kind of reply is that?"

"A good one."

He stabbed an egg with the tip of his fork. I remained silent while taking a bite of the eggs, they tasted really good. I had to admit, he's a pretty good cook. Maybe, he has always cooked for Aoi; she was an honest kid, who probably would tell anyone straight up if their cooking was bad. I figured he must have practiced a whole lot to please Aoi.

"Why do you always do that?" I grumbled.

"Do what?"

"You know, only talking about things that you understand, like Vampires and Societies? Or always give short replies that make no sense," I paused. "Hey, how do you know so much about Vampires?"

His alluring crimson eyes focused on me, as if he was trying to figure out what to say. Natsume brutally sunk his fork into another piece of egg. I was really hoping he would reveal something. Instead of being Mr. Mysterious all the time.

"My father is a Vampire." He said while holding a typical stoic look.

_Now, that makes sense._ No wonder he knew so much about vampires! I spoke, "Oh, so that means you are-"

"No, I'm not a vampire."

"Huh? What do you mean you're not?"

He glared at me, "You didn't let me finish. My mother is a human. That's-"

"Oh! So you're half-vampire then?"

"No. Can you let me finish?" He said irritatedly. "I'm a human. Even though my father is a vampire, it doesn't mean that I will be one too. When a vampire and human produce offspring there's only a fifty-fifty chance that the child will become a vampire."

I nodded my head, "I guess that makes sense. Wait, so Aoi is also a human as well?"

"No, Aoi is half-vampire. Idiot, haven't you noticed her fangs?"

"Her cuteness probably blocked out the whole fang thing."

"Right," He said sarcasticly. Natsume blandly fiddled with his eggs. I could tell that he didn't want to talk anymore. No matter how much more I wanted to know, I decided not to pry at him. I knew it would only result in disaster.

I respected that he had even shared this much with me, "I'm still curious about something."

"Hn,"

"What's your last name?" I really would prefer to call him by his last name than his first name. Actually, I don't think I'd even called out his name once. Natsume raised his eyebrow at me, his eyes quickly flickered back down to his bowl of eggs. I was about to say something when he suddenly broke in, "Hyuuga."

"Hm, okay." I was secretly hoping his last name would be more like one of those odd ball last names. Sadly, it actually fit him very well. Natsume Hyuuga; it wasn't a very bad name, it was actually a surprisingly attractive name. I was dwelling so deep in my thoughts, I didn't even notice him snapping his fingers at me.

"Oi, I asked you a question."

"You did? Sorry, I zoned out."

"Likewise." He leaned back into his chair. "I asked what your last name was,"

"It's Sakura." I felt like we were meeting for the first time. My eyes closed for a second, I could almost feel myself drifting off away in sleep. I opened back up my eyes, only to find crimson orbs intensely watching me. My hand protruded up to my mouth as I let out a small yawn. Natsume roughly ran his hand through his hair, he seemed tired too.

I placed my bowl and fork into the kitchen sink. I didn't say anymore, neither did he, a light silence gradually fell over the house. A plank in the floor creaked as I retreated from the kitchen. My head felt heavy with every step that I took. Before I made my way up the stairs, I threw a glance back at Natsume, "Hey, Hyuuga. Thanks for making breakfast," I smiled. "Now, clean up the mess you made. I'm going to bed."

He hissed, "Clean it up yourself."

As soon as I made it upstairs, I fell on to the bed. I tugged the covers over my shoulder. The bed was still slightly warm from where he had slept. I honestly didn't care at the moment who had slept in the bed, all I cared about was going to sleep. Which I eventually did. It felt amazing to go to sleep on a full stomach. I'd have to wake up early more often, it actually did have some perks.

* * *

**So, I worked at this chapter for a few hours. Originally, it was a lot longer than this. I decided to add the rest into the next chapter. Otherwise, this chapter would be way too confusing.**

**Well, Natsume isn't being very secretive anymore? Hm...wonder why? (:**

**Anyway, thanks for the support! I love you guys.**

**A special thanks for reviews:**

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	6. Third Watch Me

**8.19.13**

**Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoy this chapter very much; it was quite fun for me to write! (:**

**Anyway, thanks so much for the support! I cannot express how happy I feel. **

_**No, no, no! Gakuen Alice is not mine.**_

* * *

**Hollow Existence (6)**

_Third, watch me._

_"The sky sees all and knows all,"_

* * *

Aoi rubbed her weary eyes. She roughly tossed the blankets and sheets off of her. A soft yawn mused from her mouth. Creaking of floor boards was all she could hear throughout the house. The only thing on her mind was her brother. She made her way down the hall and peaked her head into the room.

Instead of seeing her brother, she saw a mop of brunette hair and a smaller body lying where Natsume was hours earlier. Aoi obnoxiously crossed her arms over her chest. Every morning she would greet Natsume and now she couldn't find him. Her small feet soon began making their way down the stairs. She puffed her cheeks while she made her way into the living room. There laid Natsume on the couch, she smiled and joyfully jumped on him. His eyes immediately shot open, once it registered through his mind who it was, he just lightly smiled.

"G'morning little vampire."

"Good morning, Onii-san,"

Natsume lazily sat up on the couch, he was surprised to find that his back hurt like hell. The pain found its way up to his neck. This reminded him exactly why he hated mornings, they were always a pain, well besides Aoi they were a pain. Speaking of Aoi, she was now banging her fork against the table and chanting, "I'm hungry! Onii-san, I want food!"

"What have I said about being bossy?" He placed a bowl of eggs into the microwave to reheat them.

Aoi pouted in his direction, "But, Onii-san! If I can't be bossy then why can you be mean?"

He shook his head while tipping a jug; milk streamed from the container to the cup. Natsume grabbed the cup and bowl of eggs in front of Aoi. She cheerfully began to dig into the eggs. Seemingly, she enjoyed every bite of it.

He thought about her question, "I'm not mean to you."

"Not to me. You're mean to Mikan-nii!" Aoi stuffed her mouth with more scrambled eggs. She chomped on her food with a sincere look on her face. Natsume held back whatever laughter wanted to erupt from him. The explanation that she gave was just so funny. Sure, he knew Aoi was very observant, but for her to notice something as stupid as that really tickled his funny bone.

"If I wasn't mean to her then she'd probably bite me."

"Brother, that's just silly," She croaked loudly. Aoi self-consciously felt her fangs with the tip of her fingers. Natsume slid into the chair next the her, he watched her feel the very top of them and slowly bring her fingers to the bottom. She repeated doing this a few more times before closing her mouth. "Onii-san...do you think Mikan-nii is afraid of me?"

He snorted, "No. Why would she be afraid of you?"

"Because I have fangs, Onii-san. The monsters in the story books have scary teeth like mine!"

"Don't be such a doof. She has fangs just like you. So stop whining."

Right on que, Mikan appeared from around the corner. Now she was freshly dressed in her favorite dress, which was in the lovely pattern of polka dots. The colors of the dress went quite nicely with her skin complexion, the dress was bright red with black polka dots scattered all throughout. She gently smiled at them, "Talking about fangs this morning, huh?"

The dress swayed with her as she waltzed into the kitchen. Bright streaks of light came in through the kitchen windows, a lovely day was in the making. No one in the town had seen such a day for months now. Snowy weather overtook most of the months in the small town. It was great for Mikan to finally see a nice sunny day. Mikan poured herself a smaller cup of coffee and sat at the table, right across from Aoi.

"Mikan-nii, is brother telling the truth?" She pushed her bowl of eggs away. "Do you have fangs like me?" Aoi asked while opening her mouth and pointing to her own.

She laughed, "Yeah, I do."

"Then why can't I see them, Mikan-nii? All I see are your normal teeth!" Aoi huffed.

"That's because they're hidden in my gums. When I was around your age I started to grow normal teeth behind my fangs and eventually I could hide my fangs if I had to. Pretty nifty, huh?" Mikan smiled, still not showing her fangs.

"Interesting." Natsume naturally broke in. His gaze locked on her, a slight hint of pink flew to her cheeks. Little Aoi looked back and forth between the two. She couldn't quite figure out what was going on.

"Are you making fun of me?" She hissed at him.

Natsume smirked, "I don't know, you tell me."

"Mikan-nii! Stop fighting with brother. I want to see your fangs!" Aoi yelled into the chaos of the two. They both looked at her for brief seconds before breaking any eye contact all together.

"Alright. Just give me a second." Mikan deeply breathed in the air around her. A sweet aroma entered her nostrils, the smell of their blood. She now realized something: the smell was only strong when Natsume was close by her. Her eyes widened, a familiar feeling came to her gums, she didn't need to hold back this time. Two sharp teeth on either side of her mouth popped out. Each tooth separated with four teeth in between. Mikan's fangs looked sharp enough to cut off a finger. Aoi eyes lite up in surprise, she couldn't even compare her fangs to Mikan's, they were much sharper, much scarier and a lot bigger than her fangs.

"Wow, Mikan-nii! I want to have fangs just like yours when I get older!"

"Well, I guess that's a good thing?"

"Aoi, don't even look at those," Natsume shoved his thumb in Mikan's direction. "Those are pathetic."

A killer gaze flared in her eyes, "I'll kill you Hyuuga!"

"Not if I kill you first."

"Really? The only human one here is going to kill me?" She stood on her feet, which shoved the chair out from underneath her. Natsume's stoic expression turned into a deadly one, his crimson eyes narrowed at her, a devious look in his eyes slightly threw Mikan off. A sudden small amount of heat gathered around by her neck, she ignored it, angry was boiling in her blood. Mikan crossed her arms over her chest. The heat suddenly grew very hot on her neck, her eyes lite up wide when she saw flames coming from the end of her hair. Mikan let out a scream. Frantically, she grabbed her hair, which almost instantly put out the horrid flames. Luckily, the flames hadn't been very big, so they were pretty easy to put out. A smirk formed on Natsume's lips, he was defiantly satisfied.

"Onii-san! That was mean!" Aoi cried out.

"W-what? Who? He did that?" Her thoughts came out jumbled all at once.

"Nah, the invisible candle did it." Natsume sarcastically said. A smug smirk consumed his lips, he was trying his best not to laugh and man, did he want to laugh. It was probably the funniest thing he'd seen in a long time.

"I'm going to kill you, after you tell me how you did that!" Mikan grit through her teeth. She wanted to kill him so badly, but her curiosity held her back from it.

"Are you stupid? I may be a human, but that doesn't mean I didn't inherit any of my father's powers." He hasty spat at her.

Mikan gave a goofy smile, "So, your power is to set hair on fire? That's not very helpful."

"Actually, I can set dresses on fire as well." Natsume's eyebrow raised, his smirk only grew wider at the horror in her eyes. She quickly hopped around the table and into the kitchen. His eyes never stopped following her as she ran around the corner to hide behind the couch.

"You win! You win!" She shrieked from behind the couch.

"Mikan-nii, brother can only use his power if-" A hand suddenly covered her mouth. He mouthed for her to keep quiet.

"I'm glad we're on the same page. Now, apologize to me." His figure leaned back into his chair, a smirk creeped up to his mouth.

"Heck no, I'm not apologizing to you!" Mikan stood up from behind the couch, the polka-dotted dress swayed out to her side, her hand laid on her hip. A fierce gaze of fury could be seen in her eyes. Natsume threw his head to the side, his crimson eyes scared the crap out of her now. Her eyes flickered to the floor, "Fine. I'm sorry." She swiftly mumbled.

"Good. Now, make us lunch, it's almost noon." He ordered.

* * *

Time passed by like any normal day. No longer did the sun shine from high up in the sky, it now was slowly fading into the background. A breeze brushed through the windows, lightly cooling off the house. The only chime on the porch swung from side to side while making its small noises in the wind. Mikan rested her head on the arm of the chair, her energy slowly began to desecrate over the long day. Fearing that she might pass out, she decided to try to regain her energy by relaxing on the couch. Aoi was earnestly flipping through the pages of a book beside Mikan.

Natsume had long disappeared upstairs, not a peep was heard out of him. Most likely, he was exploring the attic and the remaining of the vast upstairs. Pictures, memories and a long forgotten past was all that could be found up there. It wasn't that Mikan didn't care if he went and snooped, she just felt content emotionally where she was at now. No more emotions needed to stir up at this point in her life, sure Grandpa was gone and she knew that, what really got to her was knowing how lonely she was.

Grandfather knew almost nothing about her mother or her father. He was both her mother and father growing up, that's exactly why it hurt so much more when he died. Basically, his death took an emotional toll to the level of losing two people. Somewhere in her mind lured all of her younger years, but for now they would remain sealed. Time was truly the only secret to healing a wounded heart.

On top of everything else, she had to deal with being a vampire. Did she hate being one? Yes and no. She loved being able to do things that an average human couldn't do, yet she hated always hiding her fangs, craving blood and every other thing you could thing of. Maybe, being around another vampire, well half-vampire for that was all she needed in the end.

A sudden snap from outside echoed. Startled, Mikan immediately sat up which forced her to look out the window. There was absolutely nothing in sight. Aoi gently set her book on the couch beside her, a slight expression of fear crossed over her features. Mikan just gently laughed at her reaction and began to ruffle Aoi's hair, she jeered her thumb back out to the window with her back now turned to the window.

"There's nothing out there Aoi, must have just been the wind." She smiled down at her. Aoi nodded her head quickly before picking her book back up. Returning back to her earlier place, Mikan sighed in relief, she really didn't like feeling scared. Slowly, she could feel her eyes growing heavy, the warmth of the house didn't help her efforts of staying awake either.

A series of footsteps crunched on the grass outside. Aoi set her book beside her on the couch once again. Her feet carried her to the edge of the window, she squinted outside to see if she could narrow in on the noise. Nothing was there though, just the grass and the trees that surrounded the yard. She just shrugged her shoulders and cuddled back up to the sleeping Mikan.

An eerie voice carried in the wind, Aoi couldn't make out what it was. In fear, she glanced over Mikan's shoulder and out the window. Once again, nothing was outside. Determined to find out what the noises were, she jumped off the couch and looked out the window again. Out of the corner of her eye something moved, Aoi shook in fright. She pulled herself back up to the window, a black figure floated on the porch, Aoi's eyes widened in fear when reality hit her. That's when she started to scream at the top of her lungs.

Clanging erupted from upstairs in a rush, Natsume quickly hustled down the stairs, he slid across the floor into the living room. Mikan had already bolted off the couch to Aoi's side. All three of them now stared out the window while Aoi continued to scream soundly. A figure cloaked from head to toe in black stood on porch, a black hood hung over the intruder's face.

"Stop screaming!" Natsume hissed at Aoi.

The figure passed by the window, brief footsteps creaked on the wooden porch. Natsume roughly placed his hands on the window-sill, his eyes scanned the porch for any evidence of the figure. He let out a sigh, nothing was there anymore. Mikan could feel herself panicking, fright was piercing through her veins. Silence fell between all of them, whatever had been there was now gone. Aoi kept shaking in fright as she clung on Natsume for dear life.

"I think we're safe," Mikan confirmed as she glanced out the windows. Sadly, she spoke a little too soon. The front door eerily opened up on its own, seconds later the black figure swooped in. The figure faced all of them, while still not revealing it's face. Flames slowly engulfed Natsume's hand, a killer look over took him. Aoi now shook against Mikan who was now holding tightly on to her.

The figure slowly pulled off its hood, _"Long time no see, Natsume-san." _

* * *

**Well, this chapter was a challenge. ._. Hopefully, you guys enjoyed it! As always thank you for the support, I love it! Once again: Any errors will be fixed as soon as possible! **

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	7. Single

**Author's Note: Hello guys! I'm finally back after so long. I'm so busy with school now. I was grateful to even get this chapter finished! Either way enjoy. (:**

**10.12.13**

* * *

**Hollow Existence (7)**

_Single_

_"Life begins with a journey of a thousand steps." _

* * *

"_Natsume, you don't have to leave. At least it won't help you at all. Just accept the council's offer. They just want your blood given to the society__. It's not that big of deal."_

_His crimson orbs narrowed at the man. "Not that big of deal? If it's not that big of deal why did they take my mother and father away? And, threaten to kill my best friend?" _

"_Your family has displeased the Council. Bad things happen to those who don't listen."_

"_Sounds like you were a part of it," He spat bitterly. _

_The brown-haired man shook his head, "I would never be a part of something like that. I care deeply for your parents. If only I could have done something to stop them." A hint of sarcasm glint in the man's brown orbs._

"_Oh really? Who exactly did you need to stop?"_

_The blonde man held a blank expression, "Your parents." _

"_Stop them from what?" _

"_From having children before they were both turned."_

_He glared hotly, "Screw you." The raven-haired man slung his duffel bag over his shoulder and he waltzed swiftly out of the house while slamming the front door. The crisp autumn air touched his skin; the tip of his nose turned a light pink. His footsteps lightly echoed as he disappeared into the wavering night of fog. And as the wind howled behind him a lingering voice echoed: "Farewell, nephew." _

* * *

Natsume expression softened and his flames immediately ceased to exist. I gently set Aoi down on the wooden floor; her eyes were wide and full of astonishment. My mind was blank as I stared back and forth between the two.

"Narumi! Is it really you?" I heard Aoi's voice squeak and crack while she fought back tears. I gently stroked her hair as she let out heavy sighs. He intensely stared at the man with stylish blonde hair and the most beautiful baby blue eyes I had ever seen.

"Of course it's me! You didn't think I would find you, did you?" He spun around before throwing out a girly pose. "Well I did! So guess what? I'm not letting you two out of my sight again!" He gently laughed and gave his hair a good flip.

The raven haired boy pinched the bridge of his nose, "The hell you gay freak! I saw you get staked. You were dead. We both saw it unfortunately." He threw his thumb back in Aoi's direction.

"Ho-ho-ho! I think you two have forgotten about something!" I nearly jumped at how loud his voice was. The man laughed loudly and held up his hand in triumph. On his ring finger was a ring with a very tiny green stone square in the middle of it. "Ring of revival! Guess I should really thank Jinno for this one."

Aoi suddenly broke away from my side in a full on sprint. She jumped right into the man's arms that spread out wide for her. I could hear her sniffling and breathing heavily. He gently rubbed his temples with annoyance. "You crazy son of a-"

Natsume was cut off when the man roughly pulled him in for a hug along with Aoi in his arms. He broke out into a full smile, "Missed you too Natsume." That shut both of them up for a minute or so. I awkwardly stood by myself while feeling my heart flutter with a familiar feeling.

"Could someone please explain to me what is going on?" They all broke away from each other. Aoi just gently smiled, Natsume coughed into his sleeve and the man titled his head with his eyes examining every angle of me.

"Who's this?"

"Some weird vampire that doesn't drink blood."

Aoi pointed at me, "That's Mikan-nii! She's taking care of us!"

I glared hotly at Natsume, "I'm Mikan Sakura, nice to meet you."

"Hm. Nice to meet you as well Ms. Sakura. I'm Narumi Anju." We both shook hands for a moment. I bowed my head in respect and gently walked off. Narumi's eyes gazed at me oddly while I departed into the kitchen. For some reason I had a feeling that he didn't like me very much. They were all silent again, until Aoi began whining about how hungry she was. I could mentally feel Natsume rolling his eyes before Aoi began saying, "Brother! Stop being so mean to me!"

* * *

The hours drifted swiftly with all chatter between Natsume, Aoi and Narumi. Throughout the time I tried my best not to eavesdrop on any of their conversations. I found it odd to sometimes hear laughter from Natsume; it was so out of character. Every time I walked by I could feel eyes burning through my skin. The funny thing was it wasn't Natsume; it was Narumi who was doing it. Several times Aoi yelled for me to come and join in. I would just shake my head and say: "Oh, no thanks. You guys need to catch up."

I kept on feeling confused when I thought about the events. How easily Natsume grumbled about what I was and my embarrassing secret. The way that Narumi intensely watched me, deciding whether I was an enemy or something else. I'm slightly scared of him, he seems nice towards Aoi and Natsume, but with me it's a whole different story. He doesn't seem like a guy that would hurt me, the way he looks at me just says something like 'I don't trust you' or 'I know you're planning something'. Which I couldn't blame him for thinking that way, he was very protective over Natsume and Aoi.

"Onii-chan, I'm sleepy. Can you come upstairs with me?" She softly rubbed her eyes.

"Hn," He ruffed while they descended up the stairs. Narumi watched them slowly before completely disappearing off the couch. He literally vanished-no disappeared into thin air! My eyes widened with astonishment while I watched from my kitchen. Oh no, he's a ghost! Can Ghosts kill Vampires?

A rough hand gripped on the back of my neck. My eyes widened only to see that it was Narumi tightly holding a grip on my neck. His eyes shimmered into a deep shade of silver and his grip gradually tightened. "Are you compelling those two innocence children?"

I gulped, "W-what?"

"Let me re-phrase that. Are you part of the society? If so, I'll have you know that I've placed charms on each of them. Try to drink either of their blood and the charms will instantly deflect you."

"B-but Natsume already told you that I don't drink blood!" I lightly shrieked.

"Ah. That's where I believe that you are compelling Natsume. I believe your next step is forcing him back to only be used as a toy for the Society. Honestly, it's a good try to, but too bad I got here in time to stop you."

I narrowed my eyes, "You're just like Natsume. Talking about things I don't understand. If I really was a bad person like you say, wouldn't I have already done those things?"

"Hm, trying to play mind games?" I was sent flying backwards the counter at a forceful speed. My body hit the side of the counter; the wind had been knocked out of me. I felt like I was drowning and my ribs hurt so much that I felt like crying. I managed to huff out, "I w-would never hurt them! I'm not a bad person!"

"Tsk. For a vampire of your youth I thought this would be a lot harder." He flicked his wrist only to show me a wooden stake. I ignored the growing pain in my body and used my unnatural speed to get into the living room. It's too bad that I forgot he had the same speed as I did. Narumi easily tripped me, causing me to roughly land on my butt. "Alright. Just hold still and let's get this over with." Immediately I jeered around the corner only thrown up against a wall.

"Okay, this is really getting annoying." He roughly held me in place while I kept squirming. Using all my strength I kicked him in the stomach. Ha, old man wasn't expecting that one! I cried in victory as my hand grazed the front door knob. My body was shoved to the side by a strong gust of wind; it hit me again causing me to lose my balance. The instincts in my body began to get in gear; I felt my fangs extent and the veins under my eyes protruded on my face. I hissed at him, "Stay back!"

"Nice try, child. Don't you know that you're up against a three hundred year old vampire?" My eyes widened. I was screwed beyond belief, I knew I was going to die, but hey at least I was trying. He used whatever power he possessed to lock up every muscle in my body. I could no longer speak, no longer move or even look around the room one last time. Breathing heavily, I stared at the tip of the stake that was now in the air and closed my eyes. The tears began to stream out of my eyes without me knowing. I was going to die, but it served me right for being a monster.

* * *

Out of nowhere I heard Narumi screaming. My eyes sprang open only to find him on the floor clutching his head in pain. The wooden stake remained off to the side, far out of his reach. I quickly wiped my tears away with the back of my hand. I gently glanced over at the stairs only to find Natsume hotly glaring down Narumi. I didn't exactly understand what was going on.

"Natsume! Stop it, she's compelling you! You're hurting me!"

"She's not part of the society, you old geezer." Natsume was now standing in front of me. I watched in amazement while Narumi kept screaming. He gently grazed his hand on Narumi's head and just like that the screaming had ceased. I started wiggling my fingers and my toes happily; I could finally move again. I was alive and it was all thanks to….Natsume. My emotions swirled: I just almost died and the person that saved me was Natsume. I must have looked like a fish with my mouth hanging open and staring in awe at the scene.

"How did you do that?" I asked excitedly. Natsume turned around with the wooden stake in his hand. I nearly dashed out the front door at the sight of it. He yanked my hand forward and gently set the stake in my hand. I only stared at the object then back at Natsume.

"I can draw energy from vampires just by looking at them."

I quickly glanced away from him, fearing the worst. He smirked, "Idiot, I'm not going to hurt you. I only use it on those who deserve it." Natsume jeered his thumb back at the unconscious Narumi. I licked my lips, trying to figure out what to say.

"How did you know that he was trying to kill me? It probably looked like I was trying to kill him with my appearance," I was referring to my fangs and the vampire face I had just had on. Crimson eyes were all I could see as he just held a staring contest with me.

"I'm not stupid. It was pretty obvious that's all he wanted to do since he laid his eyes on you."

I shook my head roughly, "Why didn't you warn me?"

"Three reasons. First, every heard of Vampire Hearing? Two, if I told warned you, you would have been an idiot about it. Three, then he would really think you were compelling me." I suddenly began sobbing and smiling all at the same time. True, I do hate myself for what I am, but I was nowhere near ready for death! Sometimes, I really hated being what I am, especially now. Since I'm a vampire, our emotions our amplified ten times our normal amount as a human. Happiness and Sadness are usually the two that bore out quite a lot.

"W-what are we going to do about Narumi?" I hiccupped.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Can you erase memories?"

"I can do that!?" I yelled out a little too loud. His eye twitched at me in irritation.

"You're going to have to alter and erase his memories." He paused, "You'll have to place your hand on his head and when you see his memories you need to alter the ones before he came here. Just alter them to him looking for the society instead of Aoi and I."

I nodded my head, "I'll try." After I placed my hand on Narumi's head, his thoughts and memories began to flow into me. I was able to see tragedy, hatred, happiness and inspiration all in one. In short moments I was able to see Natsume and Aoi smiling and talking freely to him, in another I saw a man and woman being taken away by man men dressed in black. I heard screams, some sounded like Aoi's scream and another voice yelled out huskily, "Mom! Dad!" I slightly jumped realizing that it was Natsume. I could smell something burning and then nothing. The memories soon blurred over to Narumi searching for Aoi and Natsume. I altered him to thinking he was trying to find the society. The memories soon switched after I erased the ones of him finding my house.

"Did you do it?"

I nodded my head while trying not to look at him with a sad expression. Natsume hoisted the blonde man over his shoulder. "Where are you going?" I asked him as he stomped out of the house. He threw his head back, "I'm going to put him at the edge of the trail to the market. He'll hopefully head in that direction."

"I'm going with you." I sternly pulled my coat over my shoulders.

"No, stay here with Aoi. I can do it myself."

"But-"

"I'll be fine."

"As if I care whether you'll be okay, jerk."

* * *

I listened to the night howl fiercely. The moon gently hugged the clouds around it. Crackling of the trees swaying kept me awake. It had been thirty minutes since Natsume had left. If he wasn't back in an hour, I would be out of house looking for him with Aoi. The funny thing was how Aoi managed to sleep through this whole thing. I thought she was the cutest thing one Earth and now I knew she was the heaviest sleeper in the world too. I chuckled to myself while thinking about it. My favorite kinds of nights were these. I loved the smell of the leaves and the crisp air. The rustling of the leaves and the porch creaking was so peaceful. I couldn't really ask for a better night created by nature.

The front door swung open to show Natsume. In the low light I could barely see the redness of his eyes. I felt like asking about it, "Are you okay?"

"Just swell." He hissed. I hopped off the couch and stood in front of him. Those bangs of his covered his face while I tried to check his face. "Have you been you know?"

"No. I don't know what you're talking about."

I frowned, "Stubborn."

"Stupid."

"You know, it's okay to cry. I'm really sorry about all this. It's my fault for not talking to him."

"Shut up. He would have killed you either way. It's just who he's become." Natsume stormed past me and up the stairs. I sighed with my lip quivering. This was my entire fault and he knew it. Yet, he still to convince me otherwise. I don't know what's going on inside his head, all I know is that he isn't as bad as I thought he was.

_I'm so confused._

_Why didn't Natsume just let him kill me?_

* * *

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